Justin Harding wins Commercial Bank Qatar Masters title

DOHA, March 11, 2019 - South Korea's Jinho Choi had saved his best for the last as he signed for a brilliant 64 to set the clubhouse target at 11 under, but that was not enough to stop Justin Harding, as the South African birdied three of his last four holes to win the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, his first European Tour win, at the Doha Golf Club course on a thrilling Sunday.Harding's six under par 66 gave him a two-shot lead and although he had to endure an anxious wait, he had the last laugh as the South African trio of Christiaan Bezuidenhout, George Coetzee and Erik van Rooyen, Swede Anton Karlsson, Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Spaniards Jorge Campillo and Nacho Elvira, England's Oliver Wilson and Choi finished a nine-way tie for second, a European Tour record."It feels good," said Harding, who came to Doha without full playing privileges after finishing third on last season's Asian Tour."It was nerve-wracking, especially coming off, it's a situation I haven't really been in. I didn't enjoy it but it's good fun, I'm glad it happened and now we move on."I get into the events that I'd like to be into again, the schedules change, I'm no longer having to pick and choose. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens going forward and playing in some bigger events," said the 33-year old, who is the fifth South African winner of the Mother of Pearl trophy.Darren Fichardt was the first South African to win the Qatar Masters, in 2003, Ernie Els took it in 2005, Retief Goosen won two years later while Branden Grace claimed two successive titles in 2015 and 2016.Earlier Choi made six birdies and an eagle in his brilliant 64 but Harding had the perfect reply with eight birdies even though two consecutive bogies on six and seven had put him in a spot of bother briefly.Overnight leader Wilson had a tough day as he had three bogies and four birdies in a one-under-par 71.

Sheikh Joaan attends IAAF meetings in Doha

Doha, March 11, 2019- HE President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of IAAF World Championship Doha 2019 attended part of the meetings of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) which started yesterday.His Excellency welcomed the IAAF members to the State of Qatar and stressed Doha's commitment to organize an exceptional edition of the World Championship this year.He also praised the efforts of the Organizing Committee in implementing all operational plans for the IAAF World Championship in April, which will be a real test of Qatar's preparations for the World Championship scheduled in September. (QNA)

QRHCF prepares to host Wes Asian Rugby Championship

DOHA, March 11, 2019 – Qatar's Rugby , Hockey and Cricket Federation (QRHCF) is preparing to host the prestigious West Asian Rugby championship 2019 ( men and women) from March 30 to April 6 in Doha.In a pre- championship press release on Sunday, Mr. Yousef Jaham Al Kawari, the QRHCF president and Chief of the event's organizing Committee confirmed that all preparations are underway as per the timeframe.The QRHCF president also outlined that the championship will bring together three Men's teams from Jordan, Lebanon and hosts Qatar , while the women's competitions will see teams from Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and hosts Qatar.

Golfers show impressive performance in Qatar Masters

DOHA, March 9, 2019 - Qatar – South Africans Justin Harding and George Coetzee share a one-shot lead at the Qatar Masters with Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vega after all three shot 4-under 68 for the second straight round on Friday.The trio top a tight leaderboard at 8 under, with 12 players within two shots heading into the weekend at Doha Golf Club.''I'm just happy to be playing some better golf,'' said Coetzee, who has four top-10 finishes at the tournament but has never won.''I guess I made a bit of a mind switch and started focusing a little bit more on what's going on at the moment instead of where I want to be in a couple of years. I was in contention seven years go and I still haven't won this thing so I guess I don't know the magic recipe, but I'll be looking for it over the weekend.''Lorenzo-Vega, playing in the day's opening group, made five birdies and a bogey to set the early pace.Harding also followed with five birdies and a bogey, while Coetzee played a bogey-free round.''Each day is its own puzzle,'' Harding, who has three top-10s this season, said. ''You've got to go sort it out, you can't go out there thinking you're going to play well, that's certainly not the case. I've obviously got a bit of confidence and that's been built up through time and through some nice performances.''First round co-leader Adri Arnaus of Spain shot 70 to tie for second with England's Oliver Wilson, South African Erik Van Rooyen and Japan's Masahiro Kawamura, who all shot 68s, too.Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Scotland's Richie Ramsey are in an eight-player group at 6 under after both finished with 70.South African Justin Walters, who shared the first-round lead with Arnaus, was the only player among the top 35 to shoot over par on the day, a 73 to drop to 4 under.​

Beerbaum storms to feature victory in CHI Al Shaqab

DOHA, March 9, 2019-Veteran rider Ludger Beerbaum won the feature event on the second day of the CHI Al Shaqab equestrian championship at Al Shaqab yesterday. Under lights, the German piloted his 16-year-old Chiara 222 to victory to conquer the 1.60m class.Friday's competitions were attended by HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee. Seven combinations qualified for the Jump-Off but only three produced a double clear round. First to go was Belgium's Pieter Devos with his 11-year-old Claire Z but the pair jumped down two rails. Deusser followed with Calisto Blue and produced a clear round.Later, Beerbaum beat Deusser's time with over two seconds, taking a commanding victory as he came home with Chiara 222 in 43.74secs. Dutch Jur Vrieling finished runner-up in the saddle of VDL Glasgow vh Merelsnest NOP in a time of 44.72secs to push Deusser to third spot. Simon Delestre with Filou Carlo Zimequest came second, while Devos completed the top five.“My horse, Chiara 222, has been doing this for 16 years and has a lot of experience here at Al Shaqab itself. She loves it here and I think that counted in my favour. I'm very happy with the result. I'd like to enjoy this moment, but I'm also looking forward to the Grand Prix," A delighted Beerbaum, who took home in €48,345 prize money, said.Earlier, Steve Guerdat clinched the 1.50m CSI5* class aboard Hannah. Guerdat galloped to victory with his 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood-mare as the pair stopped the clock in 67.26 seconds. Sweden's Henrik von Eckermann came close but had to be content with second placed after coming home in 67.63 seconds with his 9-year-old gelding Que Bueno de Hus. The third place went to Norway's Geir Gulliksen, who guided VDL Groep Quatro to finish line in 70.82scesGuerdat said: “It was nice to win. It was a nice class. I was quite lucky that a lot of riders were faster than me but had one down. So, I did not have to take too many risks. I managed to save a little bit of my horse's energy for the Grand Prix and still win a class. It was good for me. I've been to Al Shaqab many times before. The facilities are great. It's very good for the horses, and the ground is good. The organization is perfect." In the Dressage CDI 5* Grand Prix earlier in the day, a display of elegance, poise, and style clinched first place for Minna Telde from Switzerland. Telde and her gelding, Isac, achieved the victory with a total points haul of 71.543. Excited about her win, Telde said: “It's amazing! I'm so thrilled that Isac performed well in this arena where he had shown some tension earlier. But he adapted. He stayed serene and did well and for that I am very grateful. This is my second time at Al Shaqab. The arena is amazing, the stables are very nice and so are the surfaces for the horses – it's all very horse-friendly." The day's activities started with participants in the Para Dressage competition demonstrating their riding skills based on their grades of disability. Grade 1 winner Katja Karjalainen of Finland, riding Dr Doolitle, was overjoyed with her victory, which was achieved with a personal record performance. “I was surprised to come out on top, and of course very happy. It went very well. Al Shaqab is a very cool venue. Everything is easy to find, and this is very important to me as I'm visually impaired."​

IAAF World Championships Doha 2019 to inspire the next generation of female sports stars

Doha, March 8, 2019-With fans around the world gearing up for IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, organisers are set to inspire the next generation of female athletes in the six months build up to the competition. More than 800 of the world's leading female athletes will be the focus of the sporting world in September, with the with the Local Organising Committee pledging to showcase the pathways and opportunities to success, inspiring future female athletes. Through the engaging schools programme across Qatar, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and initiatives, including IAAF Kid's Athletics, hundreds of girls are set to learn about the IAAF World Athletics Championships. A number of educational and physical activities across new activations will promote the opportunities that sport and athletics has to offer throughout the country for young females. With the Championships' efforts encouraging everybody to Aim Beyond, a focus will see girls aged between 5-12, engaging in new sporting opportunities, which aims to increase the continuous growth of female sport participation in Qatar. Commenting on the plans to raise interest in female sport participation, Dahlan Al Hamad, Director-General of the Local Organising Committee and Vice-President of the IAAFsaid: “Each year we further participation from young Qatari females in the sporting world, with new targets broken, yet there is still so much more potential that can be unlocked."“It is never too late for somebody to achieve their goals and having the world's best athletes coming to Doha later this year provides the perfect platform to engage and inspire the stars of tomorrow, showing girls that anything is possible." He added. Taking place for the first time in the Middle East, the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 will be the biggest sporting event the region has ever hosted. The championships will bring together more than 2000 athletes from 213 world countries, along with 10,000 international guests, spectators and media representatives from around the world.Fans throughout the world can keep up to date with all the latest news in the build up to the Championships by visiting www.iaaf.org or on social media by joining the conversation, using #AimBeyondTicket packages for the widely anticipated event went on sale for fans and families across the world in September on the official IAAF website at https://iaafworldathleticschamps.com/doha2019/tickets. With seat prices starting at an affordable QR 58, tickets have been selling well with some categories selling out eight months ahead of the opening ceremony at the Khalifa International Stadium.